


Thursdays

by Ladyfae (Ladysaille)



Series: Shadows Beckoning [3]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25543507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladysaille/pseuds/Ladyfae
Summary: Thursday might be Angel's favorite day of the week.
Relationships: Angel/Willow Rosenberg
Series: Shadows Beckoning [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845043
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Thursdays

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters herein. They belong to BVTS and its creators Joss and WB. Don't hurt me for borrowing them. They needed to come out and play...

**Thursdays**

Drawing in a slow breath, a smile curved my lips. Willow was here. I stretched. Waking up to Willow's presence was something to be savored. It had taken weeks before she would come in before I woke. I convinced her it was not only alright but put me at ease, knowing she was safe indoors before sunset.

I showered quickly, and once dressed in my customary attire, I moved toward the main room. I knew where Willow would be, she claimed a corner of my library for herself. I strolled toward the room, hoping for a glimpse of her lost in some volume or another. Her love of the written word afforded me quiet moments to simply study her. I didn’t dare give in to the desire that such moments stirred for pencil and paper to take down her image.

Her hair was up, revealing the pale length of her neck. The shirt she wore today was a dusty green color, an orange brushed leather skirt, and tights the same color as the shirt. It wasn’t an outfit I’d have seen on anyone else her age, and yet it somehow fit Willow. She looked like autumn, the poetic idea filled my head, like an autumn sunrise. I shook the thoughts from my head, pushing the strange desire to touch her to the back of my mind. I shifted, making the slightest bit of noise.

For just a moment, I caught the strange unease that sometimes lingered between us, and it still confused me, she sought me out. I wanted her here, it was true, but she was the one who kept saying yes to my invites, never missing a single date. Though to be fair, they weren’t dates. Couldn’t be dates, Willow was far too finely made for the likes of me. Her presence, though eased some long broken thing, giving me solace when I deserved none. Cards, movies, conversations, we were friends, and I realized for the first time I was afraid. Willow had been welcomed back into the library, but she continued to seek out my company, I was fearful of what would happen when they realized how much time their resident redhead spent with me. They’d make her leave, make her choose, and she’d leave, she would go when I needed her so.

I began joining them on patrol, the assumption was I was there for Buffy, but the truth was the tiny redhead was my reason for putting myself into their lives. Giles normally stuck me with Willow. I think he feared that I might try and rekindle my relationship with the slayer if only he’d known what he was creating. The connection between Willow and I grew with each moment we spent together, but even I couldn’t begin to imagine what we were slowly becoming.

Willow’s bright eyes studied me, and I realized I had gone off in my own little world once more. I smiled at her and lead her into the next room, and grabbed my jacket, she looked from me to it questioningly, and I smiled. “We’re going out,” I reminded her.

She looked at me oddly, and the worry that I tried to ignore reared its head. Had she changed her mind? Did she not want to be seen with me? We normally stayed in, and I found myself wondering if she was worried about Buffy and Xander finding us together. That certainly made it sound sordid, it wasn’t as though we had done anything wrong, we were friends.

"Okay," she said, smiling brightly, "where are we going?" She asked as she followed me toward the front door. As I opened it, I moved aside to let her pass before me. She smiled her thanks and headed out into the deepening dusk.

I slipped my arm around the hacker’s shoulders and continued to walk with her into the darkness. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. What was she thinking? By now, I was normally treated to at least one ramble about her day. What was happening with the gang. Of course, she had only begun doing that once she was convinced that I wouldn’t mind hearing about it.

"What’s the matter, Willow?" I asked her finally, deciding that if I wanted answers, I would have to ask because, for some reason, she wasn’t very forthcoming with information.

She looked at me with that patent. I don’t know what you mean look she had, only to have it fall away as I stopped walking.

She looked down, and I felt my heart constrict terrified that she had decided that we couldn’t continue our days and evenings together, she would spend at least one non-school day with me a week and two or so evenings with me when we were not patrolling together. I was struck with an irrational fear that one of these days, she was going to remember that it was me who had, had my hands wrapped cruelly around her neck. That she would realize that I was the same monster that had killed Jenny Calendar.

Willow had offered her friendship to me, and I was terrified that she would take it back that somehow, she didn’t realize who it was she spent all her time with. She smiled at me, seeming to sense my sudden unease, and reached up and linked her arm with mine.

"It’s not you," she assured me, "it’s them, they think I spend too much time with you." She looked down at her feet and began to fiddle with a piece of her lengthening hair. "Giles understands that I have to see you when we patrol, but he thinks I shouldn’t see you like this." She finally said. She wasn’t looking at me, and that same fear returned that Giles had convinced her to stay away from me, yet she was here now.

"I don’t understand why he doesn’t get it. You wouldn’t hurt me. I told him as much that aside from Buffy, you’re the safest person for me to be with.” Willow said, her gaze meeting mine. I realized she was worried that perhaps I agreed. I should agree, but having gotten used to her presence, I couldn’t imagine my days without her. 

"He’s just worried, Willow, he doesn’t trust me." I curled my forefinger beneath her chin and urged her to look up at me. “I’d never hurt you,” I assured her, gently drawing her closer. She slid her arms around me her touch a little tentative as she snuggled against me for a long moment, her arms tightening around my middle. This was the best part of my relationship with Willow, she touched me with tenderness and care. It was still a new facet to our interaction, but like her presence, it was quickly becoming something of an addiction. Her arms loosened before she pulled back slowly, she smiled at me. Her expression turned profoundly serious suddenly.

“I know,” she said, “that you wouldn’t hurt me.” She pushed herself up onto her toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek. My skin rioted, the warmth of the touch lingering long after the contact ended. I stared down at her with what I am sure was a ridiculously confused look on my face.

"Angel?”

“Hmm,” I was still stunned by the warmth seeping from that single point of contact through my cheek.

“Are we going?" she asked me.

Going? I shook myself inwardly, Jesus it was just a peck on the cheek. Imagine what an actual kiss from those sweet lips would do to you. NO, vampire don’t even think it.

I nodded and began to lead the way, not wanting us to be late. I had been thinking about this for a while. I worried that she might be uncomfortable in this setting. It was sort of romantic at least it might seem that way to her, but when she had begun to gush about the open-air theater that was coming to the neighboring town. I decided I had to take her to it.

I liked Shakespeare as it was and doubted that I would run into another person who would appreciate Shakespeare as Willow did.

"Come on," I said, taking her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked at me questioningly, I smiled warmly at her and dragged her toward one of the dark buildings a block from the mansion. I opened the pull-up door with ease and ushered her into the shadows. She looked at me in confusion.

I offered her warm smile and moved over to the passenger side of the dark blue car within. She glanced at it and smiled widely.

"Somehow, I didn’t think you drove." She said as she settled into the leather passenger seat. I laughed softly, wondering how she thought I got around.

"Well, I can’t fly, so getting from point a to b sometimes does require a car."

She giggled softly as I got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The car purred to life, and I put it into drive.

  
Her expression was worth the effort. Her eyes took in everything, sparkling with happiness. She squealed with joy, throwing her arms around me and hugging me for all she was worth. I laughed softly. There was a time when her exuberance would have unsettled me, but now it brought an elated smile to my lips. I didn’t deserve the friendship she offered me, but I’d guard it jealously. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her over to a spot beneath a large tree with a perfect view of the stage. She helped me lay out the blanket and watched with a curious expression on her face as I settled a picnic basket between us. I hoped I’d picked up things she’d enjoy. I broke out the bottle of sparkling grape juice first and handed her an elegant flute of the sweet-smelling stuff. She took a single sip, her nose scrounging up cutely at the fizziness of it.

“Thank you,” she said.

We shared a quiet meal, I caught her gaze on me more than once as we ate, her expression curious. I realized at that moment that while I had never partaken of blood in front of Willow, I’d also never eaten human food before either. Our bodies didn’t metabolize food the way a human did any longer, but I could eat it. I could see all kinds of questions dancing across her expression, but after a moment of continued silence, she seemed to shake off her curiosity and turn to the stage. I fished a final thing from our basket, something that wouldn’t agree with my system, but Willow would most certainly enjoy it.

She grinned, taking the small plate with its single piece of chocolate mousse pie. Her expression was interesting and made my mind drift to things far more dangerous than chocolate mousse. Don’t watch her. I knew it was a mistake the moment I caught her expression as she closed her lips around the fork full of the chocolatey confection. Her eyes fluttered in obvious pleasure, the little pleased sound that escaped her made me want to taste the chocolate, and her. I swallowed back the desire, forcing myself to remain still. If I touched her now, I wasn’t sure what I might do, all I knew was it would be disastrous.

She ate a few more bites, with the same visceral reaction, before her gaze settled on him. She paused, lifting another fork full to her mouth, and instead offered it to me. One bite wouldn’t hurt, and I needed to get the idea of tasting her out of my head. I opened his mouth and leaned forward. Willow grinned as I closed my mouth over the fork. Holy hell, no wonder she made a sound like that. The stuff was bliss. She took the fork back, her eyes dancing as if she knew my reaction to the confection.

“Good,” she asked, grinning widely.

“I now understand your obsession with this stuff.” I managed to sound reasonable.

“What another bite?” she asked.

I did, but I didn’t, I still wanted to kiss her. To taste her and the chocolate, it was an inappropriate desire, that I could blame on the evening, the chocolate, the picnic, the play about the start in front of us. It was worse than that, though, and I knew it. She was quickly becoming another obsession, one my demon seemed to share, he grew quiet, almost content in her presence.

I took the offered bite, ignoring the desire to drag her into my arms and kiss the smugly pleased smile from her mouth. Nothing good would come of following that desire through. I smiled at her, with what I prayed was a gentle smile, one of friendship, not of whatever twisted hunger I was falling victim to tonight. I helped her clean up the dishes, and piled everything back into the basket, I filled her glass once more and settled back to watch the stage.

Her eyes got this far away look in them, and I wondered where she really was what did she see on that stage, surely not the players. She didn’t turn to look at me during the entire play. While I would never admit it, I watched her more than I did the play. Although I couldn’t deny that I found myself likening Willow to Kate. Slowly she turned to face me, her eyes had the threat of tears, and without knowing what was bothering her, I drew her into my arms, I held her close. She nestled against my chest, her silent sobs drenching my shirt. She looked up at me after a moment, tears still clung to her spikey cinnamon lashes.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to get sad," Willow said. I wanted to know what was upsetting her so much but was unsure of how to ask. I cared, her sadness settled into me, a painful ache that needed explanation. She set back from me, wiping angrily at her tears. I looked into her eyes and waited as she composed herself. The shadows hiding some of her tears, her bright eyes locked on his.

"I didn’t realize what play it was." Willow said softly, "I mean, I read the playbill and all, but I forgot, and it made me remember." She laughed sadly then. "This play was the last thing I dragged Jessie, Xander, and me to see the summer before Buffy." Willow whimpered. I held her closer as her tears started again. I understood it was her last memory of doing something completely normal with her best friends in the world, one of which she had lost not long after.

When the tears finally stopped, she pulled back from me, her eyes rimmed with red from crying. She stared at me for a long moment. I simply opened my arms, hoping she would take the offered comfort and not try to be strong. I knew her, she didn’t need to pretend with me. She sighed and throw herself into my arms. Her hands going around my waist and clutching at my back. I shifted myself slightly so that I could lean easily to one side as I watched the other patrons slowly leave the park. I was suddenly in no hurry.

Her breathing deepened, to my surprise, I realized she was sleeping. She was snuggled against my chest, her breath coming in small little gust that brushed against the bare skin of my neck, I hadn’t even realized until that moment how close I had allowed her. Vampires, as a rule, don’t exactly bare their neck to just anyone.

My hands began to play listlessly with the silky strands of red hair that fell over her back, my fingers tangling in it before allowing it to slip through them. She arched into my caressing fingers and sighed, a happy little sound that lightened my heart.

“Didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She glanced up at me, from beneath her lashes, her cheeks pinkening slightly, “As far as waking up goes, that was entirely pleasant.” She whispered sleepily, I held her in place, I didn’t want to move yet. My fingers wound into her hair again caressingly. I should let her go, the crowd was nearly gone, and the park was empty only a few stragglers remained. She drew back slowly, her gaze locked on mine for a long moment, and her cheeks flushed more deeply as she settled on the blanket beside me. Glancing at the sky, I reluctantly knew I should be getting Willow back to where she belonged as much as I wanted to keep her. She could only get away with crashing at my place on the weekend, and this, unfortunately, was a school night. Sighing regrettably, I started to stand and watched as Willow did the same.


End file.
